Archive for March, 2011

Back in the mid-1990’s, I ended up taking over Detroit’s Hudson’s Building. For a few years, it was my “outdoor art studio.” I’d just go down there to work.

It was a different time then. I never got any permission and I never got arrested.

It started when a group project, the “Detroit Heroes Murals” was painted over with no warning. I don’t even have a photo of my completed (painted) murals for Detroit musicians Tommy Flanagan and Little Willie John. I thought that this was an insult to the artists who worked hard, for no pay.

So I started drawing on it in chalk, in protest. I ended up spending much of my time there. It was a lot of hard work.

I ended up interacting with the homeless people who were living in the building. It was constant “street theatre” and a real adventure.

I got involved with the people who were trying to save the building (and met many of those who wanted it to go).

I was inspired by Tyree Guyton, Sam Mackey and the Heidelberg Project. Also, I’d seen Keith Haring’s subway chalk drawings. That was similar, in that it was line drawings on a black background, like a chalk board.

Then, I was used to using chalk as I’d done a large series of sidewalk drawings, most of which I’d photographed.

Since its destruction, there’ve been several “tribute exhibits” including photos of my work. I was included in a short documentary film on the building. I also did a radio essay for our local NPR station WDET on what it was like drawing on the building. I wrote a poem about the experience which was included in the anthology Abandon Automobile.

A lot of people had taken photos of my drawings on the Hudsons. If you have any, I’d like to see them sometime.

Within the next few months, I’ll have a section on this at my University of Detroit Mercy site. When it appears, I’ll post a link to it here.